There is something different. Avery knew that as soon as he steps foot inside of Juliette's home. Her presence, ranging from snarky to charismatic is lacking. Bo, Juliette's bodyguard, notices the same thing. He moves forward, each step like a weight that kept getting heavier and heavier. His eyes were pacing, looking around for any sign of the young blonde. There was none.
Her bedroom door is shut, the hallway to the door dark like a bad omen. He feels frozen in place, like he didn't have the willpower to continue. Stock still like a statue, Bo silently passes him. He can't back out now; he knows this so he follows ever so slowly after Bo. Something was wrong, he could feel it. Something wasn't right…
Bo opens the door, light streaming in the hallway from the open bedroom windows. Once poised by the door, Bo vanishes from sight into the room. Avery goes rigid.
"Avery!" Bo yells, his voice echoing down the hall. "She's not breathing!"
It felt like someone poured cold water on Avery's head. He surges forward into the room after Bo. His eyes immediately landed on Juliette's sprawled out body on the bed, long blonde hair scattered around her. She was half clothed with empty bottles of alcohol and pills surrounding her. The sight makes him want to vomit.
His nerves were on overdrive, fear making the hair on his neck stand up. Juliette Barnes, the snarky yet amazing woman and singer had just overdosed.
Avery jumps forth, adrenaline taking hold of him now. He kneels beside her and shakes her vigorously yelling her name. No response is given.
Bo is already on the phone to 911 as Avery takes matter into his own hands and scoops Juliette up into his arms. She's hauntingly cold, her skin pale. He brushes her hair out of her face, holding her close as if she could just disappear.
Bo is yelling and Avery numbly turns his head towards him.
"The ambulance will be here any minute, let's get her outside!"
Avery is pushed ahead by Bo who is anything but the calm man he usually was. He was frantic, calling Glenn next. Then Rayna, Emily, and Deacon. He could only imagine the horror that phone call would be to them.
The ambulance was already there by the time Avery stepped outside the front door, the paramedics rushing towards him to retrieve Juliette. It felt like someone had stabbed him in the heart when she was pried from his arms and put on the stretcher. He wasn't sure if he would be able to hear her voice again, and that made him wish for death upon himself. Juliette had become a huge and vital part of his life, he could never recover from a loss like that. But he had to be strong, for her. He couldn't dwell on his own emotions, all he could do now is follow the ambulance to the hospital and wish he could have a chance to make things right.
Avery sat in the waiting room for what seemed like an eternity, his head buried in his hands. Hearing his own name startled him, looking up to see a doctor walking towards him.
He slowly stands, his legs shaking in the process. "How is she?"
"She's stable, we had to pump her stomach to get rid of the pills she took. Her breathing is still shallow but she's on oxygen for right now and her vital signs are normal."
Avery runs a hand through his hair. "Can I see her?"
"Are you a family member?"
"Boyfriend." The words tumble out of his mouth and he pauses realizing what he said. It wasn't true but it had felt so right to say that one word.
The doctor motions for Avery to follow him as he leads him down the hall and around the corner to a room at the far end.
Juliette's hospital room is every bit as luxurious as she is, having huge windows for the huge room she vacated. Flowers were surrounding her on her nightstand. There were so many Avery could barely see her. But he never could miss her, she was like a sign with bright lights that just drew someone to her presence.
Juliette lays on the bed, hands folded in her lap and eying Avery. Thin wires are hooked to her, a machine beside her beeping every so often. Her hair is scattered around her face and even with breathing tubes in her nostrils, he still finds her absolutely beautiful.
"You found me," she says, her voice barely audible so Avery hesitantly steps forward.
He drags a chair beside her bed, sitting down with a sigh. "I did, you gave me a real scare."
He expects her to apologize, but she doesn't. Then he remembers who he is speaking to.
Her hands shake ever so slightly, and he's temped to grab one.
"Why?" He looks up from her trembling hands as she speaks. "Why couldn't you have respected what I wanted?"
He feels his pulse rise, anger steadily coursing through him. "How can you even ask such a thing?"
"You think of yourself as a hero, don't you?" She is testing him. She's always testing him.
Avery has the urge to break something, to yell, but holds back. "I about lost someone very important to me, that's all I'm thinking about."
His words silence her for a moment. The thought of being important to Avery reeling her in for a moment, that is until she fixates on his girlfriend Scarlett once more.
Juliette hates Scarlett. Not because Scarlett ever did anything directly harmful to her, but it's what Scarlett had that Juliette wanted… Avery. Bile rises up within her thinking of the two of them, together, on that earth shattering night when she was about to confess it all to the man of her dreams.
"You have Scarlett." The distaste is evident in her voice. Avery picks up on it immediately.
"As friends." He clarifies the last word, hoping it will get through her thick skull.
"Do you have sex with all your friends?" Her voice is bitter. Avery labels it as jealousy.
He sighs. Of course Juliette wasn't making it easy. "I've realized Scarlett isn't who I want. She hasn't been for a long time. I'm familiar with Scarlett, and at the time I needed her. Atleast I thought I did." He pauses, looking away. Her eyes were too calculating. "When you showed up that night saying what you did, it brought up all the feelings for you I was trying to keep at bay. With the scandal going on, I felt it was never the right time…"
Her heartbeat quickens, letting out a breath she never knew she was holding in.
Avery doesn't hesitate as he grabs her hand, feeling the slight twitch of her hand in his. "It's because I love you that I saved you." Tears run freely down both of their cheeks. "I'm in love with you, Juliette."